SUMMERHOUSE Review (PC)

The forest is inviting, and I’ve chosen to create a house made mostly of wood. It blends into the landscape to some extent, although its bright orange roofs make it stand out. There are birds perched on half of the roof sections, a good sign for a builder who does not want to annoy the animals living in the area too much. I’ve also kept the outside furniture to a minimum.

My summers were spent in a small house owned by my relatives near the seaside but not too close to the beach. I remember it well but wouldn’t be interested in replicating it in a video game. So, I am creating idealized versions of homes I’ve seen from afar and maybe wanted to live in for a few weeks, carefree and focused only on the world around me. But I’m also ready to get a little weird.

Next to the environmentally integrated cottage, I’m creating a bigger boutique hotel. I’ve placed the sign first, using it as inspiration for the rest of the building. The doors are already chosen, a little grandiose but the kind that can draw in guests. But I’m struggling to decide what materials I want to use for the walls, and I really don’t like the limited options for balconies.

SUMMERHOUSE is developed by Friedemann and published by Future Friends Games. I played on the PC using Steam. The title gives players the mechanics to build houses and small neighborhoods, with a focus on freedom and coziness.

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There’s no story to explore, just four different landscapes for players to build their houses on. One features a city in the background, but the others are relatively wild spaces, meaning that nature will be a feature of whatever landscape players decide to create. The presence of humans is initially a suggestion, but players will get to see characters popping into the frame by going after some little secrets.

SUMMERHOUSE might not have a narrative, but it does have a vibe. It’s relaxed in its approach, seeking to evoke the hazy memories that gamers have of summers spent away from their homes. These are not luxury hotels or dingy motels but homes with quirks that make people feel welcome.

The gameplay revolves around a simple building process. Take a look at the selection of walls and put one down. Maybe you want to match the landscape, maybe you’re trying to replicate a real house, or maybe the aim is simply to create something visually interesting.

The game offers a range of doors, roofs, windows, and plenty of smaller bits, like postal boxes or lawn chairs. There’s also an option to switch the orientation of pieces and another to get them closer to the camera or push them into the background.

Gamers can place anything anywhere. The houses they create do not need to be structurally sound. The laws of physics do not apply in this video game universe. All that matters is how players want the finished building to look. It’s fun to try and create something that might exist but it’s as valid to experiment and test wild ideas.

Nothing is final, with an easily available tool to delete any placed piece that no longer makes sense. To encourage variety and experimentation, SUMMERHOUSE does have an unlock system, giving gamers new things to work with if they create certain combinations. The system feels a little random but delivers the desired results.

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The game even has a special button designed for randomness. It allows players to use the right mouse button to move through everything they can place. It’s a good way to stumble upon new ideas and combinations. For my first few runs, I simply tried out all the components on all four biomes to see how they look and feel. That actually unlocked a few extra options and only then I started actually putting effort into creating houses I cared about.

There’s no objective in this game, no winning and no loss state. Everyone is free to decide what constitutes a nice neighborhood or what requires a rework to become beautiful. It’s nice to sometimes reveal a small secret but there’s no need to put effort into that. Just place things, see how they look, find a way to build on that, and use the delete tool if something seems misplaced.

I found the experience a great way to unwind, pushing memories of other video games away before I switched to another activity. Of course, the lack of structure and objectives is not for everyone. I sometimes wanted the game to give me something small to aim for, to make my creations more meaningful.

SUMMERHOUSE looks good, like a fuzzy memory, which is perfectly in line with the concept of cozy creation. The aim isn’t to create photorealistic buildings but to deliver something that feels like it might fit into a recollection. Players can choose to look at their creations in the sunshine, in rain, or at night. The interface is unobtrusive, allowing players to quickly take a look at all the pieces they can use or delete useless elements.

The sound design is less engaging. The soundtrack is slight, and mostly remains in the background, giving players space to dream about their perfect summer vacation. Effects aren’t special and dream house building can benefit from players bringing in their favorite music.

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The Good

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Conclusion